The present invention concerns a method and device for evaluation of the quality of an image in digital radiology, particularly in mammography.
In particular, it concerns a method of “pointage” (or “scoring” according to the English-language terminology generally used by one skilled in the art of areas of interest on a digital radiological image of a phantom object.
One of the methods of evaluation of image quality is phantom scoring. An image on which objects of interest appear is presented to an observer. The observer then indicates the number of objects he/she manages to see as well as their location. The operation can be repeated with different observers of different images. A score is established from the results obtained. The method makes it possible to give a quality measurement of the entire image acquisition chain.
On the other hand, observation of the phantom image is an activity close to diagnosis on a real image, which makes it possible to link the idea of quality with that of a clinical task.
Scoring according to the prior art presents some drawbacks.
One of the drawbacks of scoring is inter- and intra-observer variability. In fact, fatigue and the experience of the observers can strongly influence the results.
Furthermore, manual scoring is tedious and lengthy. The users of digital radiography apparatuses tend not always to engage in scoring when it is necessary.